Collapsible container for the transport of air cargo

ABSTRACT

What is disclosed is a collapsible container for the transport of air cargo, consisting of a bottom panel, a cover panel and four side walls which are detachably connected to said bottom panel and said cover panel, wherein the bottom panel and the cover panel adjoin each other in the collapsed position of the container, retaining the four side walls between them. The bottom panel is provided with profiled members at two opposed first edges, which profiled members can be inserted into complementary profiled members at two corresponding opposed first edges of the cover panel by moving said profiled members in longitudinal direction relative to each other, and two first opposed side walls are provided with profiled members at their horizontal edges, which profiled members are complementary to the corresponding first opposed edges, which profiled members can be inserted into complementary profiled members at the corresponding vertical side walls by moving said profiled members in longitudinal direction relative to each other.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This Application is a Section 371 National Stage Application ofInternational Application No.NL02/00447, filed and published as WO03/035942 on, 9 Jul. 2002 in English.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a collapsible container for the transport ofair cargo, consisting of a bottom panel, a cover panel and four sidewalls which are detachably connected to said bottom panel and said coverpanel, wherein the bottom panel and the cover panel adjoin each other inthe collapsed position of the container, retaining the four side wallsbetween them.

In a fully unfolded position, such a container has a certain transportvolume, which will generally be adapted to the standard dimensions ofthe cargo space of an aeroplane. When the container is not being used,it can be collapsed, in which position the bottom panel and the coverpanel adjoin each other, retaining the four side walls between them. Inthis collapse position, the container has a minimum transport volume. Aknown container of the type to which the present invention relates isdisclosed in international patent application WO 01/05668.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to further improve acollapsible container of the present type.

In order to accomplish that objective, the collapsible containeraccording to the invention is includes:

a bottom panel that is provided with profiled members at two opposedfirst edges, which profiled members can be inserted into complementaryprofiled members at two corresponding opposed first edges of the coverpanel by moving said profiled members in longitudinal direction relativeto each other;

two first opposed side walls that are provided with profiled members attheir horizontal edges, which profiled members are complementary to thecorresponding profiled members of the bottom panel and the cover panel,and in that said first opposed side walls are provided with profiledmembers at their vertical edges, which profiled members can be insertedinto complementary profiled members at the corresponding vertical edgesof two second opposed side walls by moving said profiled members inlongitudinal direction relative to each other.

In the fully collapsed position, in which the four side walls areretained between the bottom panel and the cover panel, the bottom panelengages into the complementary profiled members of the cover panel withthe aforesaid profiled members. Said joining of the bottom panel and thecover panel takes place by moving the two panels relative to each other.When the container is to be brought into its fully collapsed position(i.e. the position of use), the bottom panel is slid out of the coverpanel, after which the profiled members of the two first side walls areslid into the profiled members at the first edges of the bottom panel.Then the profiled members at the vertical edges of the second side wallsare slid into the profiled members of the vertical edges of the firstside walls. Finally, the cover panel can be slid into the upperhorizontal profiled members of the first side walls, so that thecontainer is in principle ready for use.

It is noted within the framework of this invention that the term“collapsible” does not mean that the container comprises parts that canbe folded about hinges. The term is only used to indicate that thecontainer can be moved from a position in which it takes up relativelylittle space (the “collapsed position”) to a position in which it takesup a large volume (the “unfolded position”).

As a result of the mating interaction between complementary profiledmembers (in which longitudinal movements between adjoining parts takeplace), the transition of the collapsible container from one position tothe other position can take place in an extremely quick and simplemanner. Special tools are not required, nor is specialist knowledge onthe part of the user.

In a preferred embodiment of the container according to the invention,locking devices are used for interlocking the component parts of thecontainer in the fully collapsed position (engagement betweencorresponding profiled members of the bottom panel and the cover panel)or in the fully unfolded position (engagement between correspondingprofiled members of the bottom panel and the cover panel and of thefirst side walls and engagement between corresponding profiled membersof the first and the second side walls).

As a result of the use of such locking devices, the contents (air cargo)of the container are protected against theft in the fully unfoldedposition thereof. Only authorized persons can remove the lockingdevices. Such a locking devices can serve a useful purpose in thecollapsed position of the container as well, since it can prevent theftof parts of the container.

Such locking devices can be realised in that the bottom panel on the onehand and a corresponding second side wall on the other hand are providedwith identical profiled members at one of the second edges and at thehorizontal edge facing away from the bottom panel, respectively, whilstthe cover panel is likewise provided with a profiled member at acorresponding second edge, wherein a locking strip comprisingcorresponding, complementary profiled members can be inserted into theaforesaid profiled members of the bottom panel and the cover panel (inthe collapsed position), or into the aforesaid profiled members of saidsecond side wall and the cover panel (in the unfolded position), whichlocking strip is fitted with a locking mechanism for locking the lockingstrip in its inserted position.

After the cover panel has been slid onto the bottom panel in theabove-described manner, or after the cover panel has been combined withthe bottom panel, with the interposition of the four side walls, into acontainer, the locking strip is finally inserted into said profiledmembers, thus functioning as a closing member, as it were. The lockingstrip, when fitted, prevents the cover panel being moved with respect tothe bottom panel for disassembly of the container. The locking stripitself is secured against being removed by the aforesaid lockingmechanism.

The locking of the locking strip can take place in an advantageousmanner, in that the locking mechanism comprises a locking pin to beoperated by a key, which, in a locking position, effects a connectionbetween the locking strip and an adjacent part of the container.Movement of the locking strip with respect to an adjacent part of thecontainer is not possible in a locking position of the locking pin, sothat the cover panel cannot be moved with respect to the bottom panel(or with respect to the side walls) for the purpose of disassembling thecontainer, either. The locking strip cannot be removed until the lockingpin has been moved to a releasing position by means of the key, afterwhich the cover panel and possibly the side walls can be moved apart,thus making it possible to disassemble the container and, if desired,bring it into the collapsed position.

The aforesaid key, and consequently the locking mechanism, may bedesigned as an entirely mechanical unit, but also as an entirely orpartially electric or electronic unit. The use of a smart chip with allthe possibilities it provides is within the bounds of the possible. Inthis connection, the integration of a follow function, in which theposition of the container can be established at all times, for examplevia GPS may be considered.

In the foregoing, the use of mating profiled members being movable inlongitudinal direction relative to each other has been discussed.According to another possibility, however, the cover panel is providedwith a profiled member at its rear second edge (seen in the direction ofmovement for unfolding), which profiled member is capable of hookedengagement of a corresponding profiled member of the bottom panel or ofthe upper horizontal edge of the corresponding second side wall. Whenthe cover panel is moved into the corresponding profiled members of thebottom panel or of the second side walls by means of its profiledmembers at the first edges, the profiled member will engage theaforesaid corresponding profiled member of the bottom panel or of thesecond side wall in question at a right angle, as a result of which theintegrity of the container in this position (the collapsed position ofthe unfolded position) is further improved.

Whereas a container having four side walls has so far been discussed inthe foregoing, it should be noted that it is possible within thisframework for each side wall to consist of at least two side wallsegments. If the side walls segments of the first side walls areprovided with corresponding profiled members at their adjoininghorizontal edges, for example, which profiled members can be slid intoeach other in their longitudinal direction, the side wall segments formsmaller-scale copies of the side walls themselves, as it were. If notall the side wall segments are used, a container having a smaller heightcan be formed. In this way, a container is obtained whose height can beadapted to the purpose for which it is intended.

The container may furthermore be provided with quick-action couplings atits bottom panel, which are capable of effecting a connection to fixingelements present in a cargo space (such as the cargo space of anaeroplane). In this way, the container can be placed or be removed veryquickly.

The container according to the invention exhibits an advantageous ratiobetween its collapsed volume and its fully unfolded volume. In aspecific case, said ratio is 1:7. When suitable materials are used (suchas the materials described in the aforesaid international patentapplication WO 01/05668), it is furthermore possible to realise anadvantageous ratio between the container's self-weight and the weight ofthe useful load (in a practical application said ratio is 1:16).

One of the main advantages of the container according to the inventionis its so-called multi-modal character: cargo can be transported fromdoor to door, using different means of transport (truck, train, ship andplane) without having to repack the cargo.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be explained in more detail hereinafter withreference to the drawing, which shows an embodiment of the containeraccording to the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective, schematic exploded view of a containeraccording to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a profiled member;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of another profiled member;

FIG. 4 shows a number of steps of the assembly of a container having asmall height (A-G) and a container having a great height (H-M);

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a hook-shaped profiled member;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of yet another profiled member; and

FIG. 7 shows a locking member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a perspective, exploded view, which schematically shows anembodiment of the collapsible container for the transport of air cargoaccording to the invention. In principle, said container consists of thefollowing components: a bottom panel 1, a cover panel 2, two first sidewalls 3 and two second side walls 4. Furthermore, a locking strip 5 isshown.

The bottom panel 1 is provided with profiled members 7 at two opposedfirst edges 6 thereof, an example of which profiled members 7 is shownin the sectional view of FIG. 2. The cover panel 2 is provided withprofiled members 9 at two corresponding opposed first edges 8 (see thesectional view of FIG. 3), which profiled members 9 are complementary tothe profiled members 7.

The two opposed first side walls 3 are provided with profiled members 10at their lower horizontal edges, which profiled members 10 correspond tothe profiled members 9 of FIG. 3. Said first side walls 3 are providedwith profiled members 11 at their upper horizontal edges, which profiledmembers 11 correspond to the profiled members 7.

At their vertical edges, the first side walls 3 are provided withprofiled members 12, which correspond to the profiled members 7, forexample. In that case, the corresponding vertical edges of the secondside walls 4 are provided with profiled members which correspond to theprofiled members 9, for example. It is also possible, however, to usedifferent profiles for the profiled members 12 and 13, which profilesare mutually complementary, however.

The mating interaction between the complementary profiled members (inthis case the mating pairs of profiled members 7 and 10, 9 and 11, 12and 13) takes place in such a manner that said profiled members can befitted together by being moved in longitudinal direction relative toeach other.

The bottom panel 1 is provided with a profiled member 15 at a secondedge 14 thereof. A corresponding second side wall 4 is provided with acorresponding profiled member 15 at its upper horizontal edge facingaway from the bottom panel 1. Said profiled member 15 may be configuredidentically to the profiled member 7, for example.

The cover panel 2 is provided with a profiled member 16 at itscorresponding lateral edge, which profiled member is configuredidentically to the profiled member 9, for example.

The locking strip 5 is provided with a profiled member 17 at itshorizontal upper edge, which profiled member is complementary to theprofiled member 16, whilst the horizontal lower edge of the lockingstrip 5 is provided with a profiled member 18 which is complementary tothe profiled members 15 of the bottom panel 1 and the second side wall4.

The mating interaction between the profiled members 16, 17 and 15, 8,respectively, takes place in such a manner as to allow a relativemovement in longitudinal direction of the profiled members in question(during which movement the locking strip 5 is moved).

The component parts of the container that are shown in FIG. 1 can bejoined into a so-called collapsed position (a position in which thevolume of the container is small). In this position, the side walls 3and 4 lie flat between the bottom panel 1 and the cover panel 2, and thecover panel 2 engages in the profiled members 7 of the bottom panel 1with its profiled members 9. Such a position is shown in FIG. 4A, whilstin FIG. 4B the locking strip 5 is moved between the bottom panel 1 andthe cover panel 2 so as to interlock the two.

Starting from the component parts of the container that are shown inFIG. 1, the container can be brought into an unfolded position (positionof use for transporting air cargo) by carrying out the steps that areshown in FIGS. 4C-4G. Starting from a bottom panel 1 (FIG. 4C), twofirst side walls 3 are moved onto said bottom panel 1 (FIG. 4D), inwhich the profiled members 7 and 10 mate and slide one into another.Then (FIG. 4E) each of the two second side walls 4 is moved between thefirst side walls 3 (the profiled members 12 and 13 mate during saidmovement). Subsequently, see FIG. 4F, the profiled members 9 of thecover panel 2 are slid into the profiled members 11 of the,first sidewalls 3. Finally, the locking strip 5 is inserted between the coverpanel 2 and the respective second side wall 4 (in which the profiledmembers 15, 18 and 16, 17, respectively, mate). Thus, a container asshown in FIG. 4G is obtained.

The container that is shown in FIG. 4G has one-piece side walls 3 and 4.The side walls may also consist of two or more side wall segments,however, as a result of which a container having a greater height can beformed. Said side wall segments are suitably provided with correspondingprofiled members in that case. When the situation that is shown in FIG.4H is reached after the step that is shown in FIG. 4E has been carriedout, for example, two first side walls 3′ can be slid onto the firstside walls 3 again (FIG. 4I), after which a next pair of second sidewalls 4′ can be added. This results in the situation that is shown inFIG. 4K, starting from which a container having a greater height (FIG.4M) can be obtained by shifting the cover panel 2 and adding the lockingstrip 5 (FIG. 4L). Depending on the selected height of the side walls 3,4 and 3′, 4′, respectively, such a procedure can be repeated a number oftimes, until a container having a desired height is obtained. Forpractical reasons, the number of side wall segments of a side wall willgenerally not be greater than two.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cover panel 2 comprises a hook-shapedprofiled member 20 (see FIG. 5) at its rear (seen in the direction ofmovement for unfolding the container) second edge 19 (shown on the leftin FIG. 1), which is capable of engaging a corresponding profiled member21 of the upper panel 1 or of the corresponding second side wall 4 (seeFIG. 1). In this manner an additional connection is obtained between thecover panel 2 and the bottle panel 1 or the adjoining side wall 4 in thefully collapsed position (FIG. 4A) or in a fully unfolded position (FIG.4G or FIG. 4M).

Also the lower horizontal edges of the side walls 4 may be provided withprofiled members 22 (for example as shown in FIG. 6), which make itpossible to create a connection between said horizontal edges and thecorresponding edges of the bottom panel 1 provided with the profiledmembers 5 and 21. The profiled member 22 can be slid over the profiledmember 15 or 21 (which corresponds to the profiled member 7,4 example)at right angles in that case.

Finally, reference is made to FIG. 7, which is a larger-scale view of apart of the locking strip 5. The locking strip 5 is provided with alocking mechanism comprising an operable locking pin 23. The operationof the locking pin takes place by means of a key, for example, which mayalso be in the form of an electronic key 24. The locking pin 23 can matewith a recess 25 in an adjacent part of the container, in this case theedge 8 of the cover panel 2. After the locking strip 5 has been moved toits correct position, the locking pin 23 is locked in position in therecess 25 by means of the electronic key 24. Only authorized persons whoare in possession of the required key can remove the locking strip 5 andthus open the container.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment as described above, whichcan be varied in many ways within the scope of the invention as definedin the claims.

1. A collapsible container for the transport of air cargo, comprising ofa bottom panel, a cover panel and four side walls which are detachablyconnected to said bottom panel and said cover panel, wherein the bottompanel and the cover panel adjoin each other in a collapsed position ofthe container, retaining the four side walls between them, and whereinthe bottom panel is provided with profiled members at two opposed firstedges, which profiled members can be inserted into complementaryprofiled members at two corresponding opposed first edges of the coverpanel by moving said profiled members in longitudinal direction relativeto each other; two first opposed side walls are provided with profiledmembers at their horizontal edges, which profiled members arecomplementary to the corresponding profiled members of the bottom paneland the cover panel, and in that said first opposed side walls areprovided with profiled members at their vertical edges, which profiledmembers can be inserted into complementary profiled members at thecorresponding vertical edges of two second opposed side walls by movingsaid profiled members in longitudinal direction relative to each other.2. The container according to claim 1, and further comprising lockingdevices adapted to lock component parts of the container in the fullycollapsed position (engagement between corresponding profiled members ofthe bottom panel and the cover panel) or in the fully unfolded position(engagement between corresponding profiled members of the bottom paneland the cover panel and of the first side walls and engagement betweencorresponding profiled members of the first and the second side walls).3: The container according to claim 2, wherein the bottom panel on theone hand and a corresponding second side wall on the other hand areprovided with identical profiled members at one of the second edges andat the horizontal edge facing away from the bottom panel, respectively,while the cover panel is likewise provided with a profiled member at acorresponding second edge, wherein the container further comprises alocking strip comprising corresponding, complementary profiled memberscan be insertable into the aforesaid profiled members of the bottompanel and the cover panel (in the collapsed position), or into theaforesaid profiled members of said second side wall and the cover panel(in the unfolded position), and wherein locking strip includes a lockingmechanism adapted to lock the locking strip in its inserted position. 4:The container according to claim 3, wherein the locking mechanismcomprises a locking pin to be operated by a key, which, in a lockingposition, effects a connection between the locking strip and an adjacentpart of the container. 5: The container according to claim 4, whereinthe cover panel is provided with a profiled member at its rear secondedge (seen in the direction of movement for unfolding), which profiledmember is capable of hooked engagement of a corresponding profiledmember of the bottom panel or of the upper horizontal edge of thecorresponding second side wall. 6: The container according to claim 5,wherein the side walls each consist of at least two side wall segments.7: The container according to claim 6, wherein the side walls segmentsof the first side walls are provided with corresponding profiled membersat their adjoining horizontal edges, which profiled members can be slidinto each other in their longitudinal direction. 8: The containeraccording to claim 1, wherein the bottom panel includes quick-actioncouplings. 9: The container according to claim 1, wherein the coverpanel is provided with a profiled member at its rear second edge (seenin the direction of movement for unfolding), which profiled member iscapable of hooked engagement of a corresponding profiled member of thebottom panel or of the upper horizontal edge of the corresponding secondside-wall. 10: The container according to claim 2, wherein the coverpanel is provided with a profiled member at its rear second edge (seenin the direction of movement for unfolding), which profiled member iscapable of hooked engagement of a corresponding profiled member of thebottom panel or of the upper horizontal edge of the corresponding secondside wall. 11: The container according to claim 3, wherein the coverpanel is provided with a profiled member at its rear second edge (seenin the direction of movement for unfolding), which profiled member iscapable of hooked engagement of a corresponding profiled member of thebottom panel or of the upper horizontal edge of the corresponding secondside wall. 12: The container according to claim 1, wherein the sidewalls each consist of at least two side wall segments. 13: The containeraccording to claim 2, wherein the side walls each consist of at leasttwo side wall segments. 14: The container according to claim 3, whereinthe side walls each consist of at least two side wall segments. 15: Thecontainer according to claim 4, wherein the side walls each consist ofat least two side wall segments.